1. Field of the Invention.
The work station assembly of the present invention relates to production apparatus used on manufacturing assembly lines and, more particularly, to such apparatus developed for use in conjunction with a production line conveyor system.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
The discussion of prior art will focus on the manufacture of computer disc drive apparatus, because the field is representative of the thousands of manufacturing fields utilizing work stations in conjunction with conveyors, and because the present invention was developed in response to problems involved in fabricating disc drives. It is to be understood, however, that this concentration is merely exemplary. The breadth of the invention and its applicability is not diminished.
Several basic types of work stations are known in the prior art. There are those placed near the conveyor. Usually these work stations comprise little more than tables onto which the production items are to be lifted. In the case of computer disc drives, which are often quite bulky and heavy, there were necessarily created significant risks both to the lifting personnel and to the production item itself-- which could easily be dropped.
There are also work stations similar to the foregoing, but placed at a distance from the conveyor. The attendant risks are of course heightened by the increased carrying distance.
Additionally, there are cart-type work stations suitable to be moved adjacent to the conveyor for loading and then moved off to another area for the actual fabrication work. These require considerable space for storage, aisle clearance and the like, plus the expense of a heavy-duty cart for each unit in the production line.
Regardless of the particular construction of the work station employed, several significant problems were present. Loading of the production item onto the work station has been discussed. There was also the problem of working on the underside of the production item. Most prior art stations made no provision in this regard, and several people were often necessary to turn over the production item. Some prior art work stations did provide means for flipping over the production item, but often the assembly was not as stable as might be desired, or there was inadequate provision for otherwise maneuvering the production item (as by rotating it about a vertical axis) or retaining it at various "odd" angles of rotation.
The above difficulties were heightened with regard to disc drive manufacturers using a particular style of conveyor and conveyor layout. Modern factory plans often seek to optimize spatial efficiency by utilizing recirculating conveyors that loop back upon themselves. Such conveyors make it possible to immediately and easily recycle a nonconforming production item, without the necessity of manually removing it from the conveyor and replacing it upstream. However, such conveyor arrangements means that floor space is at a premium. There is often simply no room available in which to carry a disc drive to a rather distant work station. Nor is there room to maneuver a cart-type work station without disrupting operations. Thus, what is needed, especially in the disc drice industry, is a work station suitable for essentially permanent placement adjacent the conveyor, but which provides means for loading and flipping the disc drives without lifting or carrying.